Forge
by enemytosleep
Summary: After the final battle, Kagome struggles to find her feet again. Luckily for her, she has the support of her friends to help her forward. Alternate Ending/Post-Series.
1. Yearn

**A/N:** This story is being written in bits and pieces, using the various prompts at the Livejournal writing contest groups as writing aides. Therefore, some of these scenes might look familiar if you happen to haunt LJ as well. ;) Thanks to a_big_apple and bob_fish for making sure I didn't mess things up too badly.

* * *

Warm, blinding-white light surrounded her. She couldn't see anything in it. She couldn't hear anything apart from her own heart pounding in her ears. She was … floating? She couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. What was going on? Was this a dream? This place was so very empty - but there was warmth and light. It was peaceful almost, though something in the recesses of her consciousness kept screaming that this was no time to relax. _What should I do?_

When she dropped down to the barren ground from that warm space between worlds, she knew she wasn't dreaming. No, she remembered, this was more like a nightmare. _I was inside the Jewel._ "The Jewel," she murmured, instinctively closing her fist around nothing, as if she were still holding it. _The Jewel is gone._ She blinked and tried to focus, to bring herself back from it all.

She was standing in a wasteland.

Where there had once been dense forest, there was now nothing but dust and crumbling decay. Naraku's miasma had obliterated everything in its reach, the air still heavy with the tang of poison. _Thank the gods that Sesshoumaru attacked when he did, that Naraku never made it to the village_. Still, Kagome was saddened by the loss of life: tree, animal and demon alike. _But it's over now, at least. Naraku and the Jewel are gone. _Why wasn't she more relieved by this?

_Because something's not right._ But what?

Slowly, she stood and surveyed the clearing. Her friends were easy to spot against the dull background, beacons of violet and green and pink, but what her eyes were drawn to most was the bright crimson of fire rat fur: Inuyasha. _No._

_Naraku was falling fast. Giant orbs of concentrated miasma plummeted from his crumbling body, slamming into the earth and burning everything it touched with its acid. They were running, Kagome clinging to Inuyasha's back as he surged forward. There wasn't enough time to turn around and attack: they had to keep ahead of Naraku if they wanted to stay alive._

_Naraku's bulk crashed down, the force of the impact nearly costing Inuyasha his footing. He skidded to a stop and turned to face the dying spider, Tetsusaiga at the ready. Kagome stood next to him and drew another arrow, but she was too late. With the last of his strength, Naraku had shot more of his miasma straight for them - but that wasn't all._

Inuyasha was hurt. He was _hurt. _Fear coursed icily through Kagome as she rushed over to where he lay sprawled on his back. The poison in his gaping wound was so acrid it stung even her human nose. She needed to stop the bleeding. Blood seemed to be coming from everywhere. The wound was in his belly - and it was big. She could see his organs moving as he winced. The small handkerchief she had would be a joke.

_Kagome loosed her arrow scant moments before the miasma struck. It burned a bright path straight through the poison cloud, then disappeared. At that same moment, a monstrous spider leg lunged, curved and barbed - and ran Inuyasha straight through his stomach. _

_Inuyasha screamed. Kagome screamed. Poison gas shimmered in the air around them, and then everything was lit with the ethereal glow of spiritual energy as Kagome's arrow reappeared and pierced the Jewel of Four Souls. Naraku cried out, and as the last pieces of the spider's body crumbled to dust, his dying laughs echoed through the clearing. _

_Then Kagome's whole world went black._

_Help!_ She needed help! Miroku and Sango were clear across the dead-land, frantically clinging to and inspecting one another. Shippo stood next to Kagome, offering his vest to her with tears pouring from his large eyes. The vest was far too small to plug the hole in Inuyasha's chest, and truthfully she was almost afraid to even try given the extent of the wound. Her hands were shaking, and she settled for dabbing the sweat from his brow with her handkerchief. She didn't have her First Aid kit with her: it was in her bag, which had been abandoned somewhere at the start of battle. She didn't think she could find it in this state anyway. She knew she was panicking, but she couldn't stop herself. _Inuyasha needs help._

She looked up and desperately hoped her head would clear enough for her to do something, anything. She saw Sesshoumaru standing on the spot where Naraku had been, simply looking down at the ground beneath him. _Sesshoumaru!_

Scrambling to her feet, Kagome ran straight for him. She realized she was screaming, but he didn't seem to hear her. He didn't even look at her until she grabbed his coat by the sleeves.

"Sesshoumaru! We need your help! Inuyasha's hurt, and he needs treatment; we need to get him back to Kaede right away. Please, Sesshoumaru, we need you to take him-"

He glanced at her hands smearing blood on his sleeves, a gruesome and messy contrast to the crisp red of sakura blossoms. It was a terrible time to notice that this was the first she'd ever seen anything mar his clothing. She tugged him forward as if to lead him, her tears falling freely now. She couldn't even understand her own words anymore - but he followed.

She let go and ran back to Inuyasha, once again trying and failing to find a place to begin treating the wound. Sesshoumaru leaned forward and scented the air, grimacing. "He won't last much longer."

"How can you say that? He has to make it. He has to be fine … he always gets better. Always."

Seshoumaru raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to further contradict his assessment.

"Please! I need to get him back to the village, the one by the Bone Eater's Well. Kaede can help him, but he needs to get there quickly!"

Sesshoumaru canted his head to the side and studied her face for a moment, then he looked back to his half-brother on the ground next to her. With one last glance at Kagome, he scooped Inuyasha into his arms, then enveloped them both in a ball of youkai light.

Then they were gone.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, staring off into the distance after them, but eventually she heard Shippo crying and came to focus. _He's worried. I'm worried_. Kagome took one last look at her friends from across the clearing: they appeared whole,_ alive_. She could see to them later. Right now, Inuyasha needed her, and she needed to get to him.

"Shippo! I've got to go help Inuyasha. Go see if Sango or Miroku need any help!"

Then she took off running, hoping she could make it in time.


	2. Please

"Kagome, wait! I'm coming with you!"

Shippo's tiny voice cut through the haze like a hot knife, and she jolted as she ran. Her chest heaved as she tried to breathe, tried to fight the binding cramps in her rib cage. Between the physical battle and the emotional marathon, her body was reaching its limit - but she had to keep going. She couldn't stop until she knew Inuyasha would be okay.

She kept running.

"Kagome! Quick, climb on!"

Shippo came up beside her now, zipping along astride a small wooden horse seemingly come to life. It had been so long since she'd last seen this bit of magic that she'd almost forgotten he could do it. _With this, I can make it in time!_ She slowed her pace and reached for him, and Shippo pulled back on the reins, coming to a stop beside her. When she tried to find a space on the saddle behind him, her long legs folded in half and still nearly touching ground, she started to panic again. _We both can't fit on this._

"Hold on tight, Kagome!"

They were off running again before she could protest. The tiny horse pumped its stubby legs furiously as it sped through forest, but it almost felt like they were moving backwards, or maybe underwater. _Too slow, we're moving too slow!_

"This horse is only meant for one rider, but we're both kind of small," Shippo shouted, "so we should be okay."

_He wants to make sure Inuyasha's all right too._ They had to move faster though, and now. "Shippo, I think it'll go faster if I run alongside you."

"We can do it!" the young fox cheered, patting his magicked steed and urging it onward. "Just hold on, Kagome, I'll make sure you get there in time."

"Shippo-" Then Kagome stopped herself: she could hear the rush of flames, and it was coming fast.

"Kagome! Shippo!"

Kagome turned. "Miroku!"

Miroku was reaching for her with one long arm while Sango balanced them both, keeping grip on both his staff at her waist and Kirara's ruff. Kirara swooped low, her eyes burning bright as she met Kagome's gaze. _I'll get you there,_ she seemed to say. Then Miroku's hand closed around Kagome's arm, and he was hauling her up.

Kagome grabbed for him, fisting his thick robes with both hands as she tried to climb on. Kirara neatly tipped to one side then, and the motion allowed Miroku to slide his arm around her hip and pull her onboard. Kagome settled into position between Miroku and Sango as the twin-tail righted herself, slipping her arms around Sango to grip the staff draped across the slayer's lap.

Sango shouted over her shoulder. "Are you all right, Kagome?"

"Yes. I think so." Kagome was pretty sure she was uninjured, but she really hadn't been worrying about herself, either. "Are you both okay?"

"Yes," Sango answered, "we'll both be fine. What about Inuyasha?"

"We need to get back to the village, quick."

Miroku squeezed his knees against the backs of Kagome's while bringing his elbows in to touch her arms. It was sort of like a hug, except they were both still flying on the back of a great demon cat and holding onto Miroku's staff for balance. "Inuyasha is strong," Miroku said assuredly, "in both will and stamina. And we can't forget his demon heritage."

"Right," Kagome said automatically, though she really didn't feel so sure about it. Miroku hadn't seen his wounds, hadn't smelled his burning flesh as the miasma did its awful work.

"Shippo, can you keep up with us?" Sango called.

"You bet!" Shippo answered. Kagome looked to her right and saw that the tiny horse was managing to keep pace with them now that it was only one rider heavy.

"Let's go, Kirara," Sango urged.

Kirara roared and picked up speed, the surrounding trees becoming blurs. Sango's hair, free from its customary tie, whipped out behind her, the loose strands brushing Kagome's face and mixing with her own hair. Sango sat stiff-backed, her legs squeezing Kirara tightly between Kagome's knees. Every bit of the young slayer, save her hair, was completely and utterly rigid. _She must be hurt somewhere. I'll have to make sure she's okay once we get back_. Miroku, meanwhile, sagged in his seat behind her, and Kagome noticed him tremble every so often. _He sucked in so much poison … the Wind Tunnel! Does he still have it?_

Bold fingers swept over the back of the monk's right hand before Kagome could stop them, gently fingering the beads still wrapped around his wrist.

"It's vanished," he answered aloud. "We really did it."

There was that, at least. Kagome barely noticed how underwhelming her reaction to the evil-hanyou's demise was. _There will be time for celebration later. _There was really only one thing on her mind right now, and it was Inuyasha. Kirara raced on, carrying the group and Kagome's worries with her.

"We're almost there, Kagome! Hang on!" Shippou called. Shippo's large eyes telegraphed his fear, which made Kagome's chest tighten all over again. _Please hold on for me. I'm almost there_.

When they broke through the forest's edge and zoomed out over the rice fields, Kagome had to stop herself from dismounting mid-air. Logically, she knew Kirara was faster than she could ever be on foot, but they were so _close_ now, and Kagome's legs itched to run to him.

No sooner than she'd convinced herself to stay aboard, the demon cat touch down outside the familiar hut. Sesshoumaru stood sentinel outside the door, flicking narrow, unconcerned eyes at them when they landed. Kagome nearly fell face first trying to scramble off from between her friends. "Inuyasha!" she shouted, ""Inuyasha I'm coming!"

She raced forward. She had to see him. _I'm here_.


End file.
